Archive of Our Own

Waverly smiled at the beautiful bride standing in front of her. "See you in 5."

Nicole gave her one final curt nod and the soft smile that Waverly had always loved before leaving the room.

Seconds after, Wynonna walked in. That was close, Waverly thought.

"Why do you look like that?" Wynonna asked suspiciously the second her eyes landed on her.

"Like what?" Waverly answered, trying to make her face look neutral. It was impossible considering her current state of euphoria.

"Like you're in love," Wynonna said very slowly.

"Because I am?" Waverly said, raising an eyebrow and tilting her head to the right. "You do know I’m getting married in about 5 minutes, right?"

"Yes, asshole,” Wynonna said as she rolled her eyes, “but you look—" Wynonna trailed off before realization settled in.

"She was just in here, wasn't she?" She glared at Waverly with crossed arms.

Waverly's eyes widened in surprise. "How the hell did you manage to figure that out?"

"Because baby girl," Wynonna said as she went to Waverly to give her a tight (but cautious) hug, "I know you.”

Waverly smiled into the hug. "I know you do, and I love you for it," she said.

Wynonna changed the subject as she took a final look at her sister. "I can't believe my baby sister's getting before me," she whispered, mainly to herself. “What a dick,” she said louder.

Waverly rolled her eyes. "Me neither, but we don't have time for crying . . .or insults! We need to go." She grabbed Wynonna's hand and dragged her out of the room.

Minutes later Waverly was facing Nicole after walking down the aisle.

People always said that just like in the movies, everything blurred out when looking at their partner, and that the only thing they could see was the person standing right in front of them, but that didn’t happen. Not to Nicole.

She was actually more aware of everything going on around her. She could still hear the echo of the piano. She was aware of Wynonna’s smile beside Waverly, and the tears in both of their parents' eyes. She could feel the joy and love that encompassed the room and she felt warmth radiating off of Waverly’s body.

Nicole took a deep breath and tried to steady her heads to no avail.

Here we go, she thought.

It all went by much faster than she thought and next thing she knew she was falling in love with Waverly Earp all over again as she recited her vows.

“When you first came into the coffee shop, you took my breath away. You were beautiful—are beautiful. I wanted to ask you out instantly, so bad,” Waverly laughed. “But, when you spoke to me, you barely made eye contact, and I thought, Great, she already doesn’t like me. So, I let it go. Well, I tried.

“But every day after that you kept coming in. Every day. I realized that the reason you weren't meeting my eyes wasn’t because you disliked me, it was because you had a crush on me! When I came to that realization, I was so happy I did a little dance that got me weird looks from the other customers.

“Because you didn’t know what I knew, you were too nervous to ask me out. I thought it was cute, the stuttering, your shaking hands. And even though I desperately wanted to kiss you, I knew that you were the one who wanted to ask me out, so I waited. I waited, and it was so worth it when you finally did.

“From our very first date, I knew you were special, that I’d found someone who was going to be worth fighting for. You made me feel like I finally mattered as the new girl in town. And that’s what’s so beautiful about you, Nicole. You make me feel like I’m your world, like I’m the only thing you see. You make others feel like they’re important because your heart is pure, and I love that about you.

“When I’m with you, I can be who I am, I can be proud, I can be loud and obnoxious, and you will love me anyway. You’re the bright light that I’ve been searching for my whole life. You make me feel alive, like if I jumped off a cliff, your love would catch me.

“It’s strange, really. I wasn’t empty before I met you, yet when I first kissed you, I felt whole. I don’t know what the future holds for us, but there is one thing that I will always be sure of—my love for you is eternal.”

It took everything in Nicole not to let the tears that welled up in her eyes escape (she knew that Waverly would kill her if she ruined her make up). But it warmed her heart when she saw that Waverly was holding them in, too.

Nicole refrained herself from kissing Waverly before she should, and instead, she began her own vows.

❧

Nicole sat alone eating of their creamy, vanilla wedding cake. Nicole was looking around at all the friends and family who’d shown up, and it warmed her heart to know how much love and support her and Waverly would always have.

They'd decided to have the party in a salon just outside of Purgatory. The walls were glass, and there was a beautiful view of the ocean on one side and the city on the other. It took their breaths away when they first visited the place and with a shared look, they knew this was the place right away.

It was the only thing they’d agreed on right away.

Waverly and Nicole fought about the centerpieces more than anything else, surprisingly. In the end, they'd decided to get white baby's breath, and cream and lavender colored Amnesia roses in a clear vase surrounded by tall candles and tea candles because what kind of lesbians would they be if they didn't have candles?

Despite eating alone, Nicole felt like she could only see the good side of everything, like if she walked out of the building through the window she'd be able to fly back home.

She was so focused on everyone around her that she didn't notice Wynonna steal—yes steal—the microphone from the DJ. She turns around to face her and from her peripheral, she saw her wife running up to her.

"Oh God, I told her she didn't have to do that. Not for her sake, but for mine!" Waverly said with both nervousness and amusement in her eyes. She took her seat beside Nicole, and threw her hand over her thigh.

Nicole grabbed it and cupped it with both of her hands. "She's going to give a toast?" Nicole asked.

"Unfortunately."

"Is she drunk?" Nicole asked as she met Waverly's eyes.

Waverly gave her a are you seriously asking me that?look that made Nicole laugh.

"Right," Nicole said as both women turned to where Wynonna was standing next to the DJ.

"People, can I get your attention, please?" Wynonna asked, looking over at Waverly and throwing her a wink.

"When I first laid my eyes on my baby sister, I knew that I would do everything

possible in order to protect her. I was only 6, but I could throw a good punch. I used to glare at any boy I saw her hanging out with—that is until she came out and I then glared at every girl, which was much more difficult because the girls glared back,” Wynonna said. Laughter followed.

"But then, I met Nicole. When I met her, we were hanging out in Waverly's living room, and she threw an arm around Waverly and looked at her with those charming eyes of hers and all I remember thinking was she's good for her. I don't know if those 2 idiots knew it at the time, but I knew that they'd be together for a long time.

"I felt no need to protect Waverly from Nicole, I didn't glare or threaten, I just . . . hung out. And it scared me because, what if this woman ended up hurting my baby girl, and I read her wrong? Spoiler alert: I didn't,” Wynonna said, laughing at her own joke.

"So everyone raise your glasses to the beautiful newly weds and to their eternal love, as my sister put it. Nicole, I welcome you into the Earp family. Good fucking luck." Wynonna downed her drink and everyone followed along after some cheers.

Nicole and Waverly stared at Wynonna in shock. That woman was so unpredictable. But still, they weren't surprised by her words. They both knew that Wynonna cared for Waverly deeply, and now Nicole. Wynonna was good people, even though some of her words was slurred. But, what did they expect. It was still Wynonna.

"Wow," Nicole said, shocked but warmed to her core.

Waverly snorted. "Wow, indeed." She met Wynonna's eyes and she gave her a warm, thankful smile.

Wynonna flips her the bird.

“And she's back," Waverly laughed.

❧

"Babe, just choose a color!" Nicole said.

"Hey, this is our home we're talking about! I need to choose carefully. It needs to look perfect," Waverly said as she looked up to Nicole who's eyes are roaming the store they're in.

"We can always change it, you know?" Nicole shrugged, her body against the color palettes.

"Stop taking all the fun out of it!" Waverly pouted, different shades of brown dangling from her hands.

Nicole finally looked at her wife of 3 months and kisses her pout. "You're right. I'm sorry. It's our home, our first home, and I should take it seriously,” she said, turning to face the colors.

The married couple were only 20 and 21, but they were tired of their apartment and decided that they wanted to buy a house. Now that they were married, they figured why the hell not?

They’d spent their honeymoon in Myanmar, a country in southeast Asia. They hadn’t been looking for the typical romantic two weeks in Paris or the Bahamas—they were seeking adventure. Which is why they chose the country with ancient temples filled with history. Wynonna was appalled by the idea, but they went anyway. They had their own idea of romance.

Once they got back from Myanmar, they looked for homes and found one a after a couple months. It wasn’t the greatest, fanciest, or most vast house, but it was home. It was them. They’d bought a two bedroom home with a small office that Nicole occupied since Waverly had turned the 2nd bedroom into a library. Their kitchen was small, but their living room was great. Plus, it wasn’t like they needed much space anyway, it was just the two of them. And Rocky, of course. The backyard wasn't much of a backyard, but Rocky loved it (they could tell as he spent most of his time there basking in the sun like he owned the goddamn world).

Nicole looked at the palettes that Waverly was holding, but none of them felt right.

“What about yellow?" Nicole asked, pointing yellow color palettes.

“Yellow?” Waverly asked, confusion displayed all over her features as she looked at the palettes.

“Yeah, why not? It’s bright, like you. It represents happiness. Why go with the usual dark greys and the blacks, when you can go with yellow?”

“That’s your argument?” Waverly asked with a raised brow.

Nicole smiled widely at her.

“You would choose yellow, you innocent little piece of shit," Waverly said after deciding that yellow wouldn’t look so bad. (Plus, Nicole’s dimples always got to her.)

“Is that a yes, then?” Nicole asked, her eyes growing excited.

“Let’s pick a shade,” Waverly said with a grin.

10 minutes later, they’d come to an agreement about the shade.

"Alright, let's buy it, pretty girl!" Nicole said, sounding like a child who decided which chocolate bar she wanted.

They walked up to the counter where a hunched, grumpy looking worker who seemed to be losing his hair and was sporting a vest that was a too big for him stood and asked to get the yellow color and some primer.

"What kind of paint? Flat, Eggshell, Gloss & Satin, or Semi-gloss?" he asked in a monotone, routine voice.

Nicole's eyes opened wide at all the options but Waverly confidently replied, "Flat."

The man grunted in response and turned to get the paint. Nicole turned to Waverly and whispered, "I didn't know there were so many options!"

"Me neither!” Waverly said with wide eyes. "I don't know what any of that meant."

"What? Then, why'd you say flat?" Nicole asked, her brows furrowed.

Waverly shrugged as she turned back to face the worker, "It sounded right."

"It sounded right?” Nicole asked, holding back laughter of disbelief. “What if it doesn’t go on right or something? What happened to this needs to be perfect?”

Waverly glanced at Nicole and very seriously said, "What's done is done, Nicole."

Nicole just stared at her with amusement and laughed. "Whatever you say, my love."

❧

Waverly got up careful not to wake up Nicole, but when she turned to look at her she realized that she wasn’t in bed. She shrugged and walked straight to the bathroom to get ready for the day. When she got out, Nicole was sitting on the now made bed with 2 trays perched up on it.

“Good morning, pretty girl!” Nicole said as greeted Waverly with a kiss.

“Well, someone’s in a good mood,” Waverly drew out. “What’d you do?”

Nicole glared at her. "I didn’t do anything. I just wanted to surprise you.” She gestured to the plates filled with pancakes and eggs, and 2 mugs of coffee.

Waverly looked over to Nicole to make sure she wasn’t lying. “This is very sweet, babe. Thank you.” she finally said, smiling warmly.

Sitting beside each other, shoulders and knees touching as Rocky slept on the bed, they both let out sighs of happiness.

“What?” Waverly asked, putting invisible strands of hair behind her ear shyly, when she realized Nicole staring at her.

“Nothing. I’m just so glad I get to live my life with you.”

Waverly smiled as her heart fluttered. “Me too, Nicole.”

Nicole met Waverly’s lips in a soft kiss, but next thing she knew, she was on her back and Waverly was sitting on her hips, pushing her tongue in her mouth.

Yup, Nicole thought, Very glad.

❧

"Waverly!" Nicole screamed.

Waverly ran into their bedroom, almost tripping from the piles of clothes on the floor, from the kitchen where she was writing grocery shopping list.

“What? What?” she asked as she looked around the room for an intruder, holding out her pen as a weapon.

“There's a big fucking spider next to the drawer!”

Waverly froze and looked over at her wife with a are you serious look. “A spider? Are you kidding me, Nicole?”

“It's big!” Nicole argued.

Waverly rolled her eyes. She moved towards where Nicole was pointing, but halfway, she paused. “You have to do the grocery shopping and we’re cleaning later.”

“Fine, yeah, whatever you want, just kill it before it gets away!” Nicole said from the corner of the room.

Waverly turned back around and muttered something under breath about Nicole being a cop and not being able to handle spiders. “Nicole, it’s just a daddy long leg," Waverly said as she looked at the spider.

“I don’t care what it is, it’s a spider and it will kill me.”

“You’re so dramatic, oh my God. These spiders don’t even do anything. They’re harmless, see?” Waverly said as she picks up the spider and walked to Nicole.

“Waverly! Get away from me or I swear to God I’ll—”

“You’ll what?” Waverly asked with a raised brow and expectant face, the spider still crawling in her hands.

“I’ll kiss you?” Nicole said in the form of a question, wanting to avoid the infamous glare.

“That’s what I thought.” She turned toward the open window to set down the spider outside.

“I married a freak,” Nicole said, finally moving again.

“Just cause I touched a harmless spider?” Waverly asked, grabbing Nicole’s hand and dragging her out of the room.

“Exactly,” Nicole said. “Where are you taking me.”

“To the kitchen. You’re going grocery shopping.”

❧

“Hey, babe,” Nicole said after Waverly greeted her, her feet on top of her desk and head lolled back as she holds her phone to her ear.

“When are you getting home?” Waverly asked.

Nicole looked at the work in front of her and sighed. “I’m going to be another hour at least. I have so much paper work it’s insane.”

“Because of the robbery today?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry,” Nicole said, though she didn’t mean it the way that Waverly wanted her to mean it.

20 minutes away from the station, Waverly repressed a sad sigh. “It’s fine. I’ll just see you later, I guess.”

“I’ll see you later then, I got to go. Bye.”

“Bye,” Waverly.

“Oh and Waves?” Nicole asked, lowering her voice so her coworker wouldn’t here. “I love you.”

Waverly’s heart skipped a beat. “I love you, too.”

❧

“Honey, I’m home!” Nicole yelled as she walked into their home later than night. She saw a blur of black and white as Rocky ran up to her, and she bent down to pet him.

“In here!” Waverly yelled vaguely. But Nicole knew where she was.

Walking into their “library”, she felt the comfort being around books always brought them right away.

All walls of the room, except one, were covered in shelves, all filled with books ranging in every genre. The wall that wasn’t covered by books was black, and in front of it stood 2 sofa chairs angled towards each other and a lamp hovering beside each one. Her favorite picture of her and Waverly was on that wall. It was one that Wynonna had taken when they lived in the apartment.

In it, Nicole and Waverly were lounging on the couch sleeping. Nicole’s back was against the side of the couch, and her arm was around Waverly who was squeezed in beside her with her head on her shoulder. Both had a book in hand—Nicole’s was dangling from the hand around Waverly, and Waverly’s was tucked on Nicole’s lap.

It was perfect for their little library.

“Hey there, pretty girl. How was your day?” Nicole said before walking up to Waverly to kiss her forehead. Only she didn’t. She didn’t because Waverly had clenched her jaw, which was always obvious because her cheeks sunk in, and she turned her head away.

“What’s wrong? Did I do something?” Nicole asked. She was not in the mood—not after the long day she’d had at work. “If it’s about coming home late, I’m sorry. I was—“

"Yeah, you were busy. I know," Waverly said, rolling her eyes.

Nicoles eyes widened, shocked by the harsh tone in her voice. “You’re saying that as if I have a choice to be busy or not. I’m a cop, Waverly,” Nicole said, her words coming out slightly harsh.

“Yes, I know, but you’ve been busy every night this week. Sorry for wanting to see my wife every now and then.”

Nicole rolled her eyes. "Oh, well I'm sorry for actually doing something with my life.”

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Waverly asked, standing up. "I’m still in school, you know that."

“Do I?” Nicole asked. “Because I also knew you used to support me and becoming a cop!”

"I've been supporting you since the very fucking beginning, so don't even—how could you even think about saying that to me?" Waverly asked with fury, her hands flying up in the air.

"You just don't seem too supportive right now."

"Nicole, I just want my wife back for a couple of hours. I know that you're working hard, but that doesn't mean you should ignore me completely! You haven't had dinner with me, and we've barely even had a conversation the past week, you're always working late!

"Jesus Christ, Waverly, when did you become so needy?” Nicole said, running a hand down her face.

"Oh I’m sorry, let me just take my need for love from my wife somewhere else then. How could I ever believe she would give that to me. I didn't realize I was a bother to you." Waverly said, her chest heaving up and down quickly.

"Yeah well, you kind of are right now," Nicole snapped.

Waverly's heart dropped. She didn't have a response to that.

Nicole identified the hurt in her eyes right away and was met with an overwhelming pang of guilt that almost knocked her down.

It'd always be an insecurity of Waverly's. She'd sometimes keep her mouth shut when it came to talking in a conversation or when she wanted to talk about her problems thinking that she'd be a bother to others.

Waverly had confided that fear in Nicole and Nicole had promised herself that she would always make sure that Waverly was heard and that she would respond with care and love because she never wanted her to feel that way. But here she was telling her wife that she was bothering her.

"W-waves," Nicole said, her stutter suddenly making an appearance. "I didn't m-mean that. You're not a bother, y-you never have been. I swe—" But Nicole stopped talking when she saw tears welling up in Waverly's eyes. "Waves," she whispered.

"Don't." Waverly gave Nicole a hard glance before to walk out, but before she did, she turned to Nicole and said on final thing. “You can’t ask for more of something when you don’t have anything to begin with.”

❧

Nicole knew where Waverly would be. It was where she always went when she needed to think, to escape.

There were 2 open fields that both woman loved, the one they went to after their first date, and the one they went to when they first said the words I love you.

When Nicole wanted to be alone, to have some space (not because she didn’t love her wife, but because being independent in a relationship was healthy) she went to the one she took Waverly after their first date. Waverly went to the second one.

And that’s where she would be. It was 10 pm and it was dark and cold, so she took a blanket with her knowing that Waverly would be freezing.

She made the drive to the field although her mind was occupied by Waverly.

She thought about what Waverly said. She was right, Nicole knew it. She hadn't been paying too much attention to her wife recently because she'd been so sucked up in her work, and she hadn't noticed it was taking a toll on Waverly.

She still couldn’t believe that she’d been completely ignoring the one person who was always good to her. The person who didn’t make fun of her stutter. The person who held her hand tightly when walking through big crowds because she knew that she would get anxious. The person who supported her in the academy. The person who loved every single part of her, the scars, the flaws, and everything in between. The person who saw her for who she really was.

Her Waverly, her home.

Sure she was busy, but that didn't mean that she should ignore the love of her life. Waverly deserved better.

Finally, she pulled up beside Waverly’s car.

She turned off her car and grabbed the blanket before getting out. Waverly was sitting on the ground in between the abundance of flowers that she couldn’t see.

She knew that Waverly knew it was her there, but wasn’t going to look at her, let alone talk to her anytime soon. It was a thought that broke Nicole’s heart.

She walked up to Waverly and silently threw over the blanket over her shivering body.

However, Waverly did something that Nicole was not expecting. She shrugged it off. She tried to ignore the sting in her chest when she realized that Waverly was not only hurting, but furious at it’s purest form. Nicole didn’t blame her. She’d fucked up.

She stood in front of Waverly, and just talked.

“I told you this, but from the moment I saw you standing behind the counter in the coffee shop, I fell in love. I knew from that day forth that I would want you in my life, I was hoping as a girlfriend, but I would take being your friend. I’d never wanted to desperately want to make someone smile before, but yours lit a fire in my soul. And that was just your smile.

“You make my cheeks hurt, my hands shake, and my heart stutter. You’re my best friend. I love waking up to you every morning even though you hog all the blankets, and I love when you hug me from behind and lay your head on my shoulder when I’m cooking even though I end up burning the food. I love that you know how to brighten up my day, and I love that your passion inspires me everyday.

“You're the strongest person I know, and you’re the reason I fight everyday. You’re the reason I can now look strangers in the eye and smile. You’re the reason I’m standing here and not stuttering. You’re the reason I have control of myself. Yes, I know what you’re thinking. You did that all by yourself, Nicole. But, you played a vast part in it, Waverly. You make me want to be a better person everyday. Every morning I wake up and I ask myself, “Who do I want to be today?” And then I see you and my answer is always the same: I want to be someone worthy of being with you.

“You once called me your light, but Waverly you’re my whole sky. You’re my light and darkness and all the colors in between and I love every one of them. I want to kiss you every morning, I want to hold your hand everyday, and I want to hold you tight every night.” Nicole paused as 2 tears escaped her eyes after blinking. What came next was the most important part.

“We will have good days and bad days, and I hope that no matter what, you will love me immensely through both as I will love you. You are the one person in my life that I will never get bothered by, that I will never be bored with, and that I will love unconditionally until the end of time. I promise.”

There was an intense silence for about a minute, as both Nicole and Waverly cried silently. “Your vows,” Waverly finally said.

Nicole nodded her head and knelt down. She reached out her hand to wipe away Waverly’s tears but stopped herself midway.

“I am so sorry, Waverly. You’re not a b-bother to me, you’re not a liability, you understand? You lift me up. You’re the best part of me. And you know that I’m proud of you, Waverly. Like I said in my vows, you inspire me. I s-shouldn’t have attacked you for working at a coffee shop and being in school. You're intelligent and incredible.

And you’re right,” Nicole said, nodding to herself. “I lost my way, I wasn’t treating you the way you deserve to be treated. I was putting work before you, and it was so selfish.”

Nicole felt so ashamed of herself, and there’s was just enough light from the moon that allowed Waverly to read that in her eyes. That’s not what she wanted. She didn’t want Nicole hating herself. She lunged forward and hugged Nicole. “It’s okay, Nicole. Don’t bring yourself down the way you always do. I forgive you.”

She pulled back, cupped Nicole’s face, and wiped away the fallen tears with her thumbs. “I’m sorry too, Nicole. I get it. I was being too—”

“No, no, no. Stop right there. You weren’t being too anything. You just wanted my attention and I wasn’t giving you that. Okay? I love you Waverly. I love you more than I love anyone in this world. Don't you ever forget that. I promise you that I’m going to focus on you more, on us,” she said. “Because we’re pretty great.”

Waverly laughed nodded and hugged her tight again, digging her face into her neck.

They’d be alright, she thought. They were fighters and their love was vast, and they’d be alright.

❧

“Hey,” Nicole said hesitantly the next day. They’d gone home after the field and talked a bit, but they both fell asleep, emotionally exhausted. Waverly was currently sitting on the living room couch playing Sudoku.

“Hey, babe.” Waverly said, not noticing the hesitance. “I’m bored, want to go out . . . or something?” Now she was the one who hesitated.

Nicole felt some of the pain, the guilt, from yesterday settle on her chest.

“Or something,” she replied. She saw Waverly’s eyes droop and quickly added, “No, I didn't mean . . . I just meant maybe we could cook a meal together? We haven’t done that in a while, so . . .” she trailed off.

Waverly’s eyes brightened, and Nicole was glad that she’d made the suggestion. She stood up. “I’d love to cook with you,” Waverly said with a smile that eased the tension.

And that’s all that needed to be done, all that needed to be said.

“To the kitchen!” Nicole yells as if she’s getting ready to fight for Sparta. She walks over to Waverly, picks her up, and throws her over her shoulders. Multiple stolen glances, a few shoulder bumps, 3 shared kisses, and some burnt food later, they’d finished their meal, the tension completely gone as they laughed about a story Waverly shared from the coffee shop.

“I’ll wash the dishes. You go to bed. Maybe we can watch Donnie Darko?” Nicole asked.

“You know the way to my heart,” Waverly said dramatically as she threw a hand over her chest. “I’ll meet you in bed,” Waverly winked and walking away, swaying her hips sensuously.

They were most definitely not going to watch Donnie Darko.

And Nicole thought—Yeah. They were alright.

❧

"Okay, Waves. Just 3 steps. Alright, one more to go."

Waverly stumbled on the last step. "Oops" she said, giggling. Thankfully, Nicole was grabbing her by the waist, so she doesn’t fall.

"Where's Nonna?" Waverly slurs.

"She's sleeping on the couch. I brought her in before you, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Waverly said, pouting. "I think I had too much to drink."

"You think?"

Waverly nodded seriously, not getting the sarcasm. Nicole just shook her head with a laugh as she led to their room.

Wynonna had officially moved to Purgatory 3 days ago because she claimed to miss her sister, and though that may be true, Nicole had an inkling that Doc Holliday was also a reason for her moving to the small town. And now that she’d settled in her apartment, Wynonna decided that they should celebrate at Shorty’s, but it ended up being her and Waverly because Nicole was called into a car accident minutes before her shift ended.

Thus, the sleeping Wynonna on their sofa, and drunk Waverly.

In their room now, Nicole laid Waverly on their bed who cuddled up to a pillow—Nicole's pillow—right away. Nicole grabbed a t-shirt for Waverly, but no shorts because Waverly liked sleeping in her underwear.

"Alright, pretty girl. Sit up, will you?" Nicole asked beside the bed.

Waverly sat up with a groan, and Nicole lifted took off her dress and bra before putting on the shirt. Then, with her index finger, Nicole pushed Waverly's chest, and she falls back easily. Nicole bit back her laughter and moved to take off her shoes.

Once that was done and she was in her underwear, Waverly stood up.

"Wave, what are you doing? You need to get some rest or you're going to wake up with a killer hangover," Nicole said, moving closer to Waverly just in case.

"I want to dance," Waverly said.

"I'm s-sorry?" Nicole said in confusion.

"This is my favorite song," Waverly said as she pointed at the speaker in the corner. Nicole had forgotten to turn it off when she went to pick up the sisters. The music was playing at a low, relaxing volume.

"No," Nicole laughed. "That's my favorite song," she said as Louis Armstrong’s La Vie En Rose played in the back, the trumpet warming her heart.

"Your favorite song is my favorite song," Waverly said as a matter-of-factly.

"Well, that's not really how it works, but it's cute, so I'll go with it,” Nicole said with a grin.

“Let's dance?" Waverly asked.

"I don't really think that's a good idea . . ." Nicole said, but Waverly was wrapping her arms around her neck. "And, we're dancing,” Nicole muttered to herself. She snaked her arms around Waverly’s waist to try to steady her as the lyrics finally filled the air.

Hold me close, and hold me fast

This magic spell you cast

This is the vie en rose

Nicole breathed in deeply and kissed Waverly's head, who’s eyed fluttered closed.

When you kiss me, heaven sighs

And though I close my eyes

I see la vie en rose

Waverly laid her head on Nicole's chest and was comforted by the sound of her beating heart. It always grounded her, and made her feel safe.

When you press me to your heart

I'm in a world apart

A world where roses bloom

But, then their dance was interrupted by Waverly's overwhelming need to throw up. She let go of Nicole and ran into to their bathroom.

As she reached the toilet, she felt Nicole grab her hair up as she emptied the contents of her stomach.

A few minutes later, after helping Waverly clean up, Nicole was telling Waverly that dancing had been a bad idea, but Waverly was already asleep.

❧

"Hey, you come here often?"

"Ew, gross, Nicole," Waverly said to her wife as she pushed her face away over the counter where she was currently working. "Why aren’t you at work?"

"Lunch," Nicole said with a smile. "I wanted to see you. There's no one in here, so you won't get in trouble for speaking to me, right?"

"You know I won't,” Waverly said, amusement in her eyes.

"Good." There's a small pause.

"You want to go make out in the back room like we used to, don't you?" Waverly asked.

Nicole instantly put her bottom lip out, "Please?"

Waverly rolled her eyes with a small smile on her face. "We're not teenagers anymore, babe."

"Yeah I know, but it was worth a try, right?" Nicole said with an adorable smile.

Waverly laughed before getting Nicole’s lunch—Nicole always ordered the same thing so there was no need to ask her what she wanted.

"Thanks, pretty girl,” Nicole, giving Waverly the exact change. Waverly still thought it was cutest thing.

“You’re welcome,” Waverly said, leaning across the counter to meet Nicole’s lips in a soft kiss.

"Hey! No PDA!” Waverly's coworker said when he came out of the back room.

Nicole groaned at the interruption, "Fuck you, Henry."

Henry flipped her off in response as he went to clean the cappuccino machine.

“I should go,” Nicole said. “I’m not actually on lunch yet, that’s in 30 minutes, but I drove by and I saw you and I really wanted to kiss you.”

“Nicole!” Waverly said, but that’s where she stopped because her wife was as sweet as the coffee she served.

“I know, I’ll go,” Nicole said, giving Waverly one last kiss. "See you later?"

Waverly nodded. "See you la—Oh! Wait no, no see you later. I'm going straight to Wynonna's after my shift for "sister night" or whatever the hell she called it, remember?"

Nicole groaned again and Waverly looked at her with an amused look. "What even is "sister night"? You're not going to come home drunk again, are you?"

Waverly laughed. "It’s whiskey, donuts, and Orange Is The New Black."

Nicole gasped. "That sounds amazing. Can I join you?" she asks eagerly.

"You have to cover your partner’s shift, babe."

“Stupid Miles,” Nicole muttered under her breath. “His sister just had to get married. You know this will be the first time I sleep in our home alone?"

“Are you scared?" Waverly teased.

Nicole rolled her eyes playfully. "Will you at least give me one more kiss before I go?" she asked.

"That I can do.” Waverly said as she grabbed her by the neck and kissed her. When she pulled apart she said, "See you tomorrow?"

The words sent Nicole back 3 years. She’s standing in the coffee shop staring at the new barista thinking that she's never seen such a perfect human being. She thinks about all those times she convinced herself to ask her out, but never followed through, and her stutter making it’s way out. She thinks about the morning after graduation, when she finally did. How it all began.

She could see by the look in Waverly's eyes that she was thinking the same thing.

Her smile made her heart pump hard in her chest, and with a warm smile Nicole said, "See you tomorrow.